Branded: The Markings of a Traitor
by ProjXPsyClone
Summary: In a world where insignias establish identity... The markings of a traitor are seemingly one of the most reviled one, even if you are the legitimate heir to a clan, or the prince to a country. GaaHina. AU. -UNDER CONSTRUCTION- -HIATUS-
1. Chapter 1: Warring Countries

"**Branded"**

**Author's Note: This is my first time actually writing a fanfic so please read and rate. I'm not really good with writing all the action and details but I tried my best so please read and rate. It may not be the best but give it a chance. Sorry, first chapter is kind of boring so bear with me.**

**I went over this and tried to tone down the overdramatic action. It's most likely still overdramatic but I tried. Hopefully I'll make it better in the next chapter. Sorry, I'm not really good with describing things. I'm still learning so bear with me. This needs a major face lift or something. I really need to work on character description.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way!**

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He was branded a monster, a weapon of war and mass destruction.

She was branded a traitor, an unfitting heir.

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**Chapter 1: Warring Countries**

After years of allegiance, many of the alliances between the various countries finally broke, especially those among the larger countries. Although some of the smaller countries were fixated on staying out of the war, many other smaller countries sought power and protection, therefore engaged in allegiances with larger countries.

The warring nations were separated.

However, some people didn't agree with what the larger countries had to say therefore formed their own small faction. Because these organizations are small, containing very few members and distant followers, their existences are unknown.

This is one of the largest ninja wars to date.

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The once serene grounds of Konoha were now saturated with crimson cherry blossoms, the bloody remains. Even in the breezy spring winds, the Sakura trees stood beautiful, probably some of the most beautiful fields of Sakura trees ever to be seen. The beauty of the cherry blossoms derives from the blood of the dead. However, it is not the just the blood of the dead that stained these holy grounds, but rather the blood of valor and worthy Shinobis.

"Everyone, keep fighting!"

"Our comrades' lives will not be in vain!"

"Break the enemy lines! Don't let them through!" Blood is carved onto the grounds of Konoha like that of a splattered crimson painting, such a glorious piece of art. A scene so gory it would leave the most fortified of man mad in an instant.

"Aghhh!" a horrified scream of the fallen. The forsaken warriors continue the fight, protecting their fallen comrades. Medic ninjas rush to save the fallen but death was inevitable for many.

"Never give up! Protect our lands, our home, our people; our most precious!" commanded a fierce Konoha Shinobi.

"I can't hold much longer! We're not gonna make it!"

"Tetsu! Don't give up!"

"Demo --"replied the frightened warrior.

"Don't!" command the Konoha Nin glaring at his comrade, with fire burning deep into his eyes.

"Nobu," responded the scared Konoha warrior, looking at his comrade with realization then determination. His fear turned into a fiery inferno of will.

The battle rages between Konoha and their former ally, Suna who was assisted by the Sound. The Konoha warriors were losing badly, physically and mentally. Their moral was just about ready to shatter until…

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Hokage-sama!"

"Is this anyway to fight? And you call yourselves Class A Shinobis. Why are you here?"

"For KONOHA, our land, our home, our people, our most precious!" responded the now rallied Nins.

"Alright, what's our stat?"

"We're currently outnumbered Hokage-sama. They're rushing, wiping out our offensive units."

"Alright, let's go out there and give it our all!" The Hokage sprang into battle assisting his people. He fought fierce, determined, and fearless, charging through the enemy lines, eliminating the enemy Nins one by one. Finally he reached the enemy front-lines where the Sound's leader and Suna's Kazekage stood.

"Suna, I would have never thought in a million years that you would conjure up such menace."

"You're too naïve, Sarutobi-sensei," replied the mysterious Sound Nin menacingly, chuckling with sinister and oddly joy.

"Mazaka, I should've taken you out when I had the chance."

"Ah, demo, you couldn't then, did you, ne. What makes you think you can do that now, Sarutobi-sensei," said the Sound Nin with such sinister; one can never be able to sleep without having nightmares.

"We'll see about that." The Third charged straight towards the sound nin while the Kazekage just stood there, leaving Sarutobi extremely confused. Nevertheless, they continued to fight with the Third attempting to kill, while Orochimaru just combats with menace joy.

"Doton, Doryuu Taiga no Jutsu!"

"Ahh, tasukete, Sarutobi-sensei!" plead the menace Sound Nin mockingly.

"Cut the crap, Orochimaru."

"He-he," crackled the mechanical Orochimaru. "Play time is over, Sarutobi-sensei. Kabuto, release it!"

"Wakata, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto immediately releases 'it' from its cage and it's shackled chains. In an instance, the Nins on the battlefield immediately felt an immensely powerful flow of chakra emitting from where Kabuto was standing. "Good-bye, Konoha…" Kabuto mumbled sinisterly.

From behind the enemy lines, a 'monster' has emerged. Initially appearing as a young teen with wild crimson hair and aquamarine eyes surrounded by black panda outlining. He was wrapped in black along with a gourd. The teen suddenly lifts up his head, opened his eyes, and transformed into what they call, 'a monster.' Sand began swirling around the young man rapidly and violently, and then stopped swirling only to float around the young man, right after the transformation. The monster, tanned with the color of sand, roared with laughter.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru continued to toy with Sarutobi.

"Doton, Doryūdan. Katon, Karyū Endan." Orochimaru immediately dodged the move, taunting the poor old man. Caught up in the fun, Orochimaru failed to notice the Earth Style Wall emerge from behind him, cornering him.

"Nani," shocked and unable to escape the entrapment.

"Katon, Karyūdan. Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The Fire Dragon Missiles quickly coated the Shuriken Shadow Clones advancing towards the cornered Orochimaru.

"Shimata! —" Sarutobi seeing this as his advantage, advances towards Orochimaru through his Fire and Shadow Clone Jutsu from earlier, attempting to land a surprise attack. However, little did he know, Orochimaru had something up his sleeves.

"Kusanagi no Tsurugi, Kū no Tachi…" Orochimaru drew his Heavenly Sword from his mouth ready to retaliate. The Fire and Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu approached Orochimaru, then suddenly disappeared and emerging from the fire was the Third launching his fatal attack. Upon impact, Orochimaru dispersed into thousands of slithering snakes, leaving Sarutobi shocked.

"Nice try, Sarutobi-sensei," chuckled the obscure Nin. "I hate to leave you like this but…too bad I won't get to see you again, sensei."

In the middle of all the fighting, Orochimaru suddenly disappears, leaving a bewildered Sarutobi.

"Orochimaru, omae…"

All of a sudden he sensed a demonic, death-seeking chakra, and then everything went cold, stoning him. Unable to react to such a murderous, abhorrence chakra, Sarutobi and the Konoha warriors stood frozen, turning only their heads towards the source of the demonic energy.

The 'demon' upon its release began its killing spree, killing everyone in its path, disregarding those that were considered his allies. Orochimaru and Kabuto knew of this, and yet were willing to sacrifice the lives of their Sound Ninjas as well as those of the Sands, which was unknown to that of Sunagakure.

"Tetsu, notify Konoha officials to set up the defensive barrier immediately! Everybody else, defend!" shouted one of the Konoha commanding units. Tetsu set out immediately back to the Konoha's headquarter to deliver the message. All the Konoha fighters immediately began a defensive barrier around them. The 'monster' continued its path of destruction killing just about everyone.

"Ha-hah, this is so much fun. The killing, ha-ha, so many dead bodies, fragile humans, and so much more left especially the blood, the smell, the color, and the taste. Ha-ha ha, don't you just love this! Die, die, die, die, die. Blood, blood, a-hyuk hyuk, kill them all!" roared the lunatic 'monster.'

Just as everyone was pulling back to stand behind the barrier, Sarutobi launched himself to the outside, towards the demon right before the barrier closed.

"Hokage-sama, what are you going?!" shouted one of the Squad leaders.

"Sorry, everyone, I must do this. _When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew._" He smiled and with this, the Third rushed to fight against the 'monster'. "You…"

"Huh?" the monster looks around confused until he spots an old man at the mountaintops. "Ah, look what we have here old man. You have a death wish too. Don't worry I'll be sure to put you out of your misery. It'll be quick you won't feel a thing. Though it is saddening to know, I won't get to play with you long, Hokage-sama," bickered the taunting demon.

"I see, thank you for the request but I'll be sure to take you down with me." And with that the monster turned his full attention on the Third, just as the Third had hoped. "Summoning Jutsu, Enma!" The Third quickly summons his loyal companion Enma, the Monkey King.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, it's been a while."

"You too, let's do it."

"You got it."

"Die!" roared the foolish demon.

An explosion is heard in the distance. There is a sudden flash of white light as the two clashed. The battle finally ended, resulting in the ultimate defeat of the Sound Nins.

-Sometime after the battle-

The Konoha Nins as well as the Konoha Medic Units dispersed throughout the battlefield searching for the remains of their fallen comrades to give them a proper burial. They were also searching for the wounded and perhaps some survivors, but what exactly happened to the Hokage?

Meanwhile, a young girl that seems to be a Nin her self was walking deep in the forest mountains. She covered her self fully, wrapped in black, revealing only a part of her face. She wore a gray long sleeve turtleneck that was long enough to cover the top parts of her face, revealing only her eyes. She also had a simple lavender vest over it. Her pant was black and long, wrapping around her ankles at the end, tucked insider her gray sandals. She covered her head fully, exposing little to nothing. She had on what looked like a cap to conceal her pearl-colored eyes. Her hands were concealed as well, with nin hand protectors gloves like those of Kakashi's. As she was walking, she spots something in the distance. Fearing that it may be a trap set up for her, she cautioned her self. She approached the 'thing' slowly with caution, equipping her self with a kunai.

As she drew her self closer to this 'thing' covered in black, she noticed that it was a person, an actual human being. He appeared to have crimson red hair. Unable to see his face, she slowly walked around the body to have a glance at the young man's face. He seemed to be near dead, all shackled up. His face was pale, covered in sand, and his eyes circled with dark black rings like that of a tattoo.

"Nin…" gasped the young lady. She backed up a bit, a bit shocked and overwhelmed by her discovery. The young nin began to question her self, as to whether she should help the young man. She examined him further, looking to see if he had a headband so that she can identify him. Being the sympathetic girl she is, the young girl couldn't help but take the young boy home to treat him. As she picked him up to carry him, she hears some voices out in the distance, fearing they may be Nin hunters, she sped away quickly.

--Young man's thoughts--

"_Man, my head's throbbing. It hurts like heck."_

He slowly squints his eyes open, staring at the ceilings.

"_Where the hell am I?" _

Confused and unaware of the situation, the young man began to panic a bit, which was quite unusual because he was never the type to panic, always remaining calm and cool.

_What the heck happen? How the heck did I get here? Ack, the pain!"_

--

The young man shook his head slightly, closing his eyes again in the process. He finally manages to open his eyes faintly, turning his head to the side, where he spots someone's back. The person appeared to have long dark hair, but he wasn't sure.

The young girl heard movement so she quickly turned to see what it was and found the young man looking at her.

"You're awake!" cried the young girl, but in a hushed and whispered tone as she quickly approached him.

--Young man's P.O.V--

"_Who's…? Crap, I can't move. Damn it…ack…stop…"_

_--_

"Do yo--?"Just as she approached him, before he could register what was going on, the young man went unconscious again. "H-hello?"

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**End of Chapter 1!!**

**But wait, why is Hinata scared of Nin Hunters? What exactly happened between the Hokage and Gaara the Demon? Oooo, suspense! It'll all be revealed in due time. Hinata may be a bit OOC in here because of that so, in time things will be revealed.  
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**Author's Notes: That was horrible! Yes, I know. The first chapter was boring, but give it a chance, it'll get better trust me. It's actually better than it sounds, I hope. Anyways, thank you all for reading and rating. I don't think I'll upload the next chapter until I get at least 10 ratings, I think, I hope. Thank you all. Until we met again! Should I continue? Yes/No.  
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	2. Chapter 2: Enemy Encounter

"**Branded"**

**Author's Note: Alright people, this is Chapter 2. Some of the characters may be OOC but they're suppose to for certain reasons. It is imperative.  
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**Warning: This chapter may be rather boring so I apologize. I warned you so don't blame me if your time was wasted. Just kidding. Heh.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!

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**Chapter 2: Enemy Encounter**

"Uh…H-hello? …" The young man slowly opens his eyes to see milky opal eyes. "Ah, you're awake," said the young girl sighing in relief and for some reason; a tint of joy is heard.

"_What…opal…who the heck is this?" _thought the young man, as he continued to stare at the young girl and his surroundings with confusion trying to register what was going on.

She her self was nervous so she responded rather quickly stuttering along the way. "O-oh, you look confused. Well, y-you see, I-y-you were lying unconscious in the woods and I-- w-well kinda f-found you. So I thought ---"

Before she could finish what she was saying a monstrous hand-shaped sand mound hit her, sending her back first into the wall, keeping its grip tightly wrapped around her neck, nearly choking her. Hinata felt the pain, as if shockwave was sent throughout her whole body, especially her right arm. The tables against the walls broke along the way, throwing the glass and clay pots on the table shattering and scattering all over the wooden floor.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked threateningly, piercing her with his laser bloodshot eyes.

She couldn't respond clearly because she couldn't breathe. She began to gasp and choke in pain, trying to find room to breathe.

"Answer me…" he snapped tightening his grip.

"H-Hi-Hin—a-ta" choked Hinata about ready to pass out.

"Ack…" His eyes widened. The young man covered his face with his free hand, but released Hinata immediately placing his other hand on his head as well, causing Hinata to fall hard onto the wooden floors coughing and gasping violently with her hand wrapped around her own neck.

He seems to still be in pain but the pain seemed to subside when the scent of metallic blood clogged up his senses. He loosened his grip from his head, allowing them to flow slowly down. He began to look around to locate the source of this fragrance and immediately settled his eyes upon the injured Hinata. Apparently, he had hurt her in the process, while asking who the heck she was.

Blood was flowing down her right arm, dripping onto the grounds like ripples onto water. Hinata realizing the immense pain in her right arm immediately tried to treat it. She examined it and realized that the shatter fragments of the glasses and clay pots had seeped deep into her flesh, so she gently removed the materials piece by piece.

As she was doing so, a shadowed was casted upon her grabbing her injured arm sadistically causing her to cry in pain. Hinata quickly grabs the oppressor's arm in an attempt to refrain from deepening her wounds. The bloodthirsty teen yanked her from the ground, hardening his grip on her arms to make her scream in pain as he smiled cynically.

Hinata still trying to pull his arm away from hers lifted her head, wincing at the pain, and eyed the young man who looked like he was possessed. His smile widened when he saw her eyes connecting with his. He immediately grabbed her around the neck again with his free hand, holding her up in the air, choking the already frail girl. Hinata removed her hand from his left arm and place it on his arm that was choking her. Gasping and drowning, Hinata's body went into confusion.

Her Byakugan immediately activated on its own will, however it was not the ordinary Byakugan. A wave of black designs began to crawl towards Hinata's eyes from the back of her neck, dancing along the way. Hinata began to panic, fearing for she did not know what was going on so she shut her eyes quickly and tightly. The red head tilted his head in confusion then threw the nearly lifeless girl to the side, sending her crashing against the walls, landing on the floor. She laid their motionless.

He then decided that he was done toying with her and that he would finish her once and for all. 'Sand Coffin.' He raised his hand palms flat and tilted in the air facing the girl, with his other hand forming the customary Jutsu seal. Sand began to gather around the battered Hinata on the ground, lifting her up into the air. She painfully squint her eyes open and gazed the young man in the eyes.

Before he could deal the finishing blow, he hesitated, looking the girl directly in the eyes. "G-G—aa—ra…" she said, barely managing to let it all out, more or less mouthing it in a windy mutter. However, her inability to speak correctly due to lack of air, the absent male nin was only able to hear the first part of her speech.

Was is pity? Pain? Sympathy? No, it was loneliness. The same neglect he had in himself. His piercing eyes slowly soften as he slowly lowered his hand tempting himself. Should he kill her once in for all? He began to hate himself for hesitating, so he instantly shook his head, sharpened his eyes again and prepared to finish her. 'I can't…have to kill her…"

"Die..."

Just as he was about to clench his hand into a fist for the kill, the door swung open. "Hinata-sama!" The man at the door, his eyes shot in horror at the site. Hinata at her deathbed and her killer preparing for the kill. They both quickly eyed the man at the door however before they could react he sprang quickly towards the young man and ferociously pushed him out of the way, landing a hit upon the confused young man's shoulder using his Gentle Fist, which sent the young man flying towards the wall, falling forward on his knees.

The sand surrounding Hinata disappeared immediately as well as the wave of black markings as she fell. She looked at her savior and spoke his name before falling cataleptic. "Kō…-san…"

Kō rushed towards Hinata and caught her as she fell forward, head on his chest. He had long forgotten about the man who harmed Hinata because he was so determined to save the innocent girl. He carried her bridal style, placed her onto the bed and began to examine her, using his Byakugan when necessary.

As he continued to heal Hinata, Hinata's attacker, still on his knees, finally regained 'conscious' and steadily stood up on his two feet. "Ugh…" he grunted shaking his head as he looked around the room, seeing that it was trashed. And blood…

Kō sensed that the boy had awaken so he instantaneously turned around, shooting him with a pair of death glares. The young man glowered right back are him then glanced pass him looking at the pale girl lying on the bed.

"You…who are you…" demanded Kō. The poker faced boy looked at him blankly.

"Wh--"

"Gaa..ra.." answered a hushed and ghostly voice. Both the men turned their heads towards Hinata, surprised. Hinata's eyes flickered turning her eyes towards 'Gaara' who now stood confused. Her eyes smiled, gleaming at him despite the fact that her face was implanted with blank stillness, causing him to flinch.

Kō look at both young nins unexpectedly and perplexed, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Gaara stared blankly before vaguely grasping his head and walked out of the room casually, trying to cover the fact that he feels weak to the bone. Kō and Hinata just watched as he walked out, however Hinata attempted to speak out in which her efforts were futile for she was too severely injured. Kō noticed and refocused his attention onto her again, after the sudden awkwardness.

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Meanwhile—Gaara walked out of the residence and into the 'great' outdoors where he realizes that he's in the middle of nowhere. He assumed that is was early morning as the rays of light peaked from the blue flushed sky as the white clouds peacefully drifted about. He was surrounding by trees and singing birds. The trees, their leaves and branches were dancing with the wind gracefully and unimaginable serenity.

As Gaara stepped outside he was struck by a sudden breeze, tracing through his hair, become one with the wind. He paused momentarily to observe his surroundings. He silently closed his eyes, perking his hearing senses. As he had done so, he suddenly heard the sound of running water. If one hadn't known better, one would think that Gaara was actually admiring nature's beauty.

He snapped back into realization and continued to walk down the dirt path. He had no memories of what had happen. Everything was a blur. He continued walking until he reached the end of the long dirt road which was where two new roads opened, one to the left and one to the right. He stopped abruptly closing his eyes again. He opened them again and continued walking, deciding to take the path to his right.

Gaara continued to walk for several minutes, before turning right again to a veiled path that is so discreet that no one would ever notice it unless the observe it long and hard, which may still be impossible to notice. Nonetheless, he noticed and walked down the newly discovered pathway, removing the bushes, tree branches, and vines out of the way.

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Meanwhile…

It's been hours since Hinata last heard from this young man named Gaara. The earth's natural light has already settled down causing Hinata to worry even more, especially when he hasn't fully healed. She lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling, wondering…wondering…wondering. The hot-head…

In the midst of her trailing thoughts, the sound of the creaking woods awakened her from her thoughts. "Hinata-sama…"

"Ah, Kō-san…" now awaken as she turned her head towards him, sitting up as she does so.

"Uhm…you worried, Hinata-sama?" he asked awkwardly, knowing how she might react.

"Wo--…Kō-san, didn't I _tell_ you not to be so honorific? Hinata, not Hinata-sama, remember," retorted the utterly flustered girl.

"Hehe…"chuckled the apprehensive Nin as he scratched the back of his hair nervously, to which he suddenly stopped. He looked towards the pale complexion of the shadowed figure who stared blankly out the dawning windows. "Um…Hinata-sa—Hinata…you shouldn't worry so much…I'm sure he's ok. He'll be back before you know it. Besides, he's in no condition to be moving around, he can't travel that far…" The loyal Hyuuga looked towards the obviously worried Hinata unable to comprehend the situation at hand. "_I really don't approve of that stranger staying with us…but…Hinata-sama refuses. Ah…Hinata-sama's safety? Hinat-sama's wish…? Ah…I don't know anymore," _he thought sighing each multiple times throughout his train of thought. Not wanting to continue with the awkward atmosphere, Kō decided to leave Hinata to her thoughts. "I'll be going now Hinata…_Hinata_…I'll be in the next room if you need me. Get some rest, ok," he said smiling as he retreated towards the doors.

"Thank you, Kō-san." She turned her head towards the retreating Hyuuga after her thanks, as she returns with a gentle, heart-warming smile.

Kō startled, not knowing what to say but returned a smile, comparable with Hinata's demeanor. "Pleasure's all mine, Hinata…" Those were his final words as he withdraw to his room.

The light which crept in through the cracks of the open door finally disappear. She reverts to her deep thoughts, this time lying and gazing at the ceilings again. She continued to stare exchanging looks with the cold paintings of earth's slumber. Just as it dimmed, the dark had finally become darkness in the pale eyes of the Hyuuga.

"_You…!" the darkness growled, bone-chilling._

_Panicking and bewildered of her surroundings, she young Hyuuga began to breathe heavily, like she participated in a triathlon. She looked around ferociously, until she finally accepted the fact…nowhere…_

"_You…! What'd you do?!"_

_She continued to look around, her breathing becoming more labor. "W-what--…" She felt like she was little again. Memories stared rushing back…_

_As if she was reliving past experiences, she woke up. Voices echo, rippling through the darkness._

"_You're useless…"_

_Flash_

"_Pathetic"_

_Flash_

"_You deserve to die…"_

_Flash_

"_You…you're nobody…you'll never be somebody…bakemono..."_

_Flash_

"_Why don't you just…die already…"_

_Flash_

_I'm sorry_

_Flash_

"_Stop!"_

"_WHY!—"_

_Flash_

"_DIE!"_

_Her eyes shot open, widened again. She began to breathed hastily and inconsistently, drops of water forming around her pale complexion, raining like there's no tomorrow. Another shot of terror shot through her eyes._

_This time, she's the perpetrator. The victim remained silent the whole time._

"_Ack! You…why'd you do that?!" Crazily…"You know who I am…Do you!? Answer me, damn it?!" chuckled the unstable doer. "What's wrong…cat got your tongue…?" he mocked, laughing demonically, throwing his head back._

_Suddenly the darkness is liberated, illuminated with unsullied rays of light._

_The demonic being cocked his heads, tilting it towards the victim on the ground and smirked sinisterly, enlarging his inflame eyes. "Enough…die…"_

_He rushed towards the fragile human striking it with an ordinary ninja sword, connecting with a vital point. Blood began to drip as the diabolic creature continues to strike, slash, decorating the once forlorn greens with its complementary color._

_With light now glowering, the monstrous killer struck his sword onto the ground, positioned in a marital proposal stance. He began chuckling to himself crazed, confused, sad. He lifted his head as the rain began to pour, eyeing the reflection of his sword as the blood mixed with the precipitation, shedding the sword's crimson hide._

_As he looked up, he noticed his silky pallid eyes, inching him into reality. He continued to look closer, his hair color…dark…blue…? His face, plastered with sinful remains...A circuit of fear, ran through him…beginning with his eyes…the suddenly…the air…it's dying…His hands, trembling as he began to remove that strands of hair from his face…Shocked…_

"_Wh—what…" He touched his face again…Fearing it may be an illusion. "What is this?" he questioned. Terror…panic…confusion…_

_He looked towards the still corpse of his fallen victim. Everything was red. Or were they. He got up and walked towards the lifeless being, bulleted with fear every step, every passing minute, everytime…The slayer finally reached the body, reluctantly bending down to get a clearer look at the unfortunate 'thing'…_

_He slowly reached out, as if attempting to revive it, uncontrollably trembling. Just as he was about to contact the being, it quickly grabbed his hand, gripping tightly, and its head jerked up glaring at him. He was met with cyan blue eyes, one in which turned black and yellow…Sand began to poor from the cracked shell face._

"_You..!" snarled the revived prey, sending a wave of anguish and terror to its killer which was well received. "I didn't think I'd go alone did you?" he snapped, chuckling slyly. "I'm lonely so I've decided to allow you to join me…invitation given and received…let's go…" he snarled as he summoned a storm of sand around his attacker, as he screamed in pain and horror. "Hey…Hyuuga…" sneered 'Gaara'._

_Am I really dying…_

Everything went black. The young Hyuuga shot up from her bed sweating and breathing heavily from terror. She looked around the room and realized that it was still dark. The nightlight radiated from the blanketed skies. She suddenly remembers something…someone…"Gaara…"

She jumped out from under her covers rather quickly and headed straight towards the door outside after she realized that he wasn't in the guest room. Hinata rushed outside into the cold, panting, panic…? She looked around a couple times before continuing her search. She ran towards the dirt road which led to a crossroad. "Tsk…"

She encountered a crossroad and didn't know where to go. She had to decide quickly, so she closed her eyes, feeling the gentle wind. She listened intently as she heard the sound of water running.

Her eyes shot open as she continued to run, taking the 'right' road. She continued running until she reached a hidden path. Of course Hinata knew there was a secret path there because she was the one that found it. She also noticed that the branches were moved. Instinctively, Hinata rushed through the barrier hiding the path, and continued running. She was beginning to feel tired and weak due to the injuries she sustained from Gaara's attack. However, that wasn't going to stop her. Ignoring the pain, she continues to roam in the cavernous murky forest.

The sound of water was getting closer and closer. Thanks to the wind she thought. It was all thanks to the wind. The wind had carried him to her.

She finally reached the running water and stopped, panting like no tomorrow. Hinata looked around for any signs of 'life'. She continued her search for the mysterious Gaara. For some unknown reasons, it struck her. She began to fear for the worst. "Gaara…"

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"I see…"

"Are you ready? On my command…"

"Shouldn't we wait a bit?"

"No, this is our chance."

"Alright, let's move."

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**End of Chapter 2!**

**Author's Note: Yes, I know. This chapter sucked! I had a serious writer's block. I couldn't figure out how I wanted to get to where I want. I'm disappointed in myself. I may retouch it later. I apologize for the long, long, very long update. I have my reasons, not that many care but…I am sincerely sorry. But it's here now! **

**Hope you enjoyed it. **

**Please Read and Rate!**

**Thank you**


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